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Taiwan's complete bike exports down more than 18 percent in 2017

But the country's e-bike exports are on the rise and average unit price continues to increase.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Export figures supplied by Taiwan's Ministry of Finance shared at a press conference organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) on day two of Eurobike paint a rather bleak picture. The country's complete bike exports, including e-bikes, are down 18.5 percent for the first half of 2017. Total complete bike exports excluding e-bikes fell nearly 25 percent for the same period in 2016.

But it wasn't all bad news. The country's focus on producing higher-end product and electronic lighting continues to have a positive effect on average unit prices, which rose 8.5 percent from $448.71 to $486.41. And e-bike exports are up 27 percent overall — a surge the Ministry attributes to the European Union's increasing demand for electric models over traditional bicycles, particularly in Germany.

Taiwan has so far shipped 26,360 e-bike units to Germany this year compared with the same period in 2016, an increase of 40 percent, while the country's demand for traditional bikes has dropped 26.3 percent in Q1 and Q2 of 2017. The EU accounts for about 76 percent of Taiwan's total e-bike exports.

Japan remains Taiwan's largest Asian export market so far in 2017, but complete bicycle exports there have fallen 39 percent. And the Chinese market continues to soften, with Taiwanese exports falling 59 percent in the first half of 2017, from 39,833 units to 16,292.

Component exports have fallen slightly, dipping 1.8 percent in units, but dollar value is up nearly 3 percent in Q1 and Q2. Lighting systems exports have also increased, with a total volume of 91,000 units — a 27 percent increase over the same period in 2016.

Besides sharing export data, TAITRA also detailed its plans for the Taipei Cycle Show in 2018. The show will shift dates from spring to fall, held Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. Taipei Cycle publicity manager Jasmine Wu said a demo day would be held prior to the show, and that the show will use the Taiwan World Trade Center's Hall 3, located behind the Taipei 101 building.

“Hall 3 is a 15-minute drive from Nangang,” Wu said. “We have room for about 300 additional booths there.”

Plans are also in place to mix up the format of the TAITRA-organized pre-show press tour, which takes place in Taiwan every year in November.

“We have 18 months between shows, so how are we going to fill that gap? We'll be doing other things, including moving our pre-show press tour to May in 2018,” Wu said. “And instead of visiting factories for two days, we'll have it in a venue where companies can join us and journalists can see products for two days. Then, we are going to ride for two days.”

Wu also said plans to open the second expo hall at the Nangang Exhibition Center are still on track. With the additional building, the show will have space for about 4,500 booths.